It is generally known in the art to provide a spreader arrangement in a loom, downstream of the beat-up and interlacing point, for spreading the width of the woven fabric that is being produced, so as to prevent the fabric from contracting in the widthwise direction. Various configurations of such spreader arrangements are known. For example, it is known to provide a fabric spreader body that substantially encloses a hollow space therein, and that has two fabric deflection elements with an open fabric slot therebetween, which communicates into the hollow space. The fabric spreader body extends in the weaving width direction at least over the entire width of the woven fabric that is to be produced. A rotationally symmetric spreader element or spreader rod having a defined diameter is received rotatably in the hollow space of the spreader body, and the woven fabric is directed or threaded over the first fabric deflection element through the slot and into the hollow space, around a portion of the circumference of the spreader rod, then back through the fabric slot and over the second fabric deflection element. The open or clear spacing width of the fabric slot between the two fabric deflection elements may be smaller than the outer diameter of the spreader rod, so as to retain the spreader rod in the hollow space of the spreader body, while the spreader rod is carried or guided by the fabric passing therearound.
Fabric spreader arrangements of the above described general type are known from various publications, for example from the Patent Publications CH 252,997, DE 22 43 669 C2, EP 0,336,409 B1, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,803. Such fabric spreader arrangements are also known as spreader tables, fabric temples, and fabric expander arrangements.
It is known in practice to construct the rotating fabric spreader element or spreader rod as a rotationally symmetrical solid metal rod having a rubber or rubbery elastomeric coating on the outer circumferential surface thereof. Such rubber-coated solid metal spreader rods are relatively heavy and have thus been found unsatisfactory in their operation and in their handling in connection with the operation and equipping of a modern high speed loom. It is further known to make the spreader element of a solid polymer material, for example with a profiled or textured circumferential surface. In practice, both the rubber-coated metal spreader rods as well as the solid polymer spreader rods suffer the disadvantage of a relatively high degree and rate of wear, which leads to a relatively short operating life. In order to maintain satisfactory operation, it thus becomes necessary to frequently replace the spreader rod, which leads to increased loom operating costs.